Naruto's Legacy
by MasterOfEscapism
Summary: It's been three generations since Naruto Uzumaki brought peace to the five great shinobi countries. But, as history goes, it will always be easier to bring about war than it will be to bring about peace. Will war ravage the shinobi world again? Or will Naruto's Legacy be preserved?
1. Naruto's Legacy

**Naruto's Legacy **

It happened three generations ago. The last Great Shinobi War erupted. The changes that the citizens of the five Great Shinobi Countries saw had been set in stone the day that Gaara of the Desert asked the other Kages that famous question.

_When did you forsake yourselves? _

Those words, all alone, had been the most powerful weapon in his possession. More even than the ferocious tailed beast that once made a home out of his body. Those words started the peace that Naruto Uzumaki and his beloved teacher, Jiraiya, dreamt about.

It bound the nations together and formed an alliance unlike any that had ever been seen throughout those hundreds of years of pain and death.

Many thought it remarkable that it happened. Others thought it ironic . . . because in the end it took one of the most brutal wars to have ever raged to bring it to reality. It was typical, but still very, very special in its own way.

In that war, Naruto Uzumaki carved his name into history. Thirteen letters so deep that not even the vastest sea could fill them and hide them from view. Gaara paved the way for the five countries to unite and Naruto stitched the alliance together with the feats he accomplished thereafter.

Alongside Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto vanquished the villain that threatened to govern the world with the power of the moon, and then . . . then he rendered himself onto the people of the five countries by putting his feelings aside.

For Sasuke Uchiha, there had been no path to return by. In Naruto's single greatest personal defeat, he killed the last son of the Uchiha clan, he killed his only brother and finally gained an understanding, if slight, of the pain that had turned Sasuke's heart into a vile thing.

The result? None other than peace. Relative peace, at least. Unfortunately, as long as man existed in numbers there would always be murder. But as the sun shone brightly high in the sky, as the wind caressed the branches of the trees, and as the hearts of the people of the five countries pounded with life, the battlefields of old remained deathy silent.

Such was Naruto's Legacy.

Yet . . . the regrettable fact that it is always easier to bring about war than it is to bring about peace is absolute. There will always be those who will seek to see the world in ruins, to see lives torn asunder, and to see those battlefields covered in blood once again.

And there will always be those who will sacrifice everything to preserve . . .

Naruto's Legacy.

* * *

Author's Note: I do not own the Naruto brand.


	2. On the brink of war

Kohama Hyuga was a man in his early fifties with long black hair that streamed all the way down to the small of his back. Typically, he donned a cream colored kimono with a plain, navy blue jacket over it made of soft material. He had a pair of piercing eyes, from which little could escape. Even when he wasn't using his Kekkei Genkai.

At a young age, he distinguished himself among the Hyuga clan with an unrivaled Byakugan, which allowed him to see further than any other Hyuga in history, and cemented his right as a Hokage candidate during his late twenties when he paired his unrivaled sight range with an ability to, plain and simply, destroy. There were no members in Konoha who rivaled his strength.

When the time for the last Hokage came to step down, Kohama inherited the title, and that was why he stood in the Hokage's office, looking through the enormous window there into the vast village that was hidden in the leaf.

If he so pleased, he could see it all.

Standing there, with his fingers intertwined atop his lower back, the air inside his office shifted ever so subtly. Almost immediately thereafter, he perceived the chakra of one of his subordinates and spoke without turning around to face her.

"Yes, Ora?"

"There's been an attempt on the Bijuu Shrine."

His eyes came to a slow close the moment he heard those words. It wasn't a gesture born of regret, but of anticipation. Rumors had been swirling for close to a year now that the land of the Shinobi was going to see another great war.

Since then, many things had occurred. Traders that provided each of the countries with needed supplies, including the smaller ones like the Village Hidden in the Rain, had been assaulted by bands of unknown individuals. It didn't take very long before countries began suspecting that these attacks were linked to one of the other countries, especially when the groups of assailants were reportedly specialists in the use of one element.

Iwagakure in particular had already started taking heavy military measures to defend their boundaries against Sunagakure. They believed that the Country of Sand had always been jealous of neighboring countries because the vast deserts in their land weren't particularly as fruitful as other lands, and that they intended to weaken Iwagakure enough so that they may take over a portion of their land in the future.

"The Shinobi that were involved in the attack were using the Lightning release primarily. Before their bodies could be taken for study, however, each of them dissolved, leaving absolutely nothing behind for an investigation."

It was the same old story. To Kohama and a few others, it was painfully clear that someone was trying to pit them against each other. He recalled a fruitful meeting with the other Kage months ago, when they each reassured one another that no intrusive military activities would be made on neighboring countries. It lasted a while, but with violence erupting every few days, some of them had been infected with a seed of doubt.

Blood turned out to be the right nutriment that seed needed to grow, and now things would start to reach a boiling point. It would appear that if those shinobi who attacked the Bijuu shrine were indeed Kumogakure shinobi, then it was the Raikage's intention to strengthen his land with the power of a Jinchuuriki in order to gain an upper hand in the impending war, and there was no way of proving it now. But really, could all the villages be using the same body dissolving technique to hide their true intentions? Likely not, but . . . it was possible.

Worst case scenario, the other Kages were already embroiled in a game of chess against faceless opponents, each readying their pieces for war.

Kohama's fingers came apart, and as his hands hung at his sides, he gripped them tightly into fists. It was frustrating to know that none of his soldiers were missing, that each and every man and woman who served his shinobi military was accounted for, and yet Kirigakure was trepid towards his village.

"And the Fox's Jinchuuriki?"

"She still hasn't reached the shrine."

The Nine Tails was the absolute grandest prize that a country readying itself for war could acquire. Naruto Uzumaki had made that painfully clear to everyone. The other Bijuu were powerful beings to have as well, and that was why after Naruto's generation faded away to the rigors of old age, each of the beasts was gathered and placed under the protection of a royal guard that consisted of members from each of the Five Great Countries. There, they were destined to remain sealed within statues, protected from anybody who may lust for their power.

Years later, the Bijuu tired of being quarantined the way they were, and threatened to revolt if willing hosts weren't assigned to each of them. It resulted in nine different Jinchuuriki who were not trained for war. However, their status as living representations of the Jinchuuriki who was responsible for the peace they were living under made them influential figures.

Now, it was a problem, because Chizu Uzumaki, the only host that the Nine Tailed Fox would accept, was out in the open with a much smaller contingency of guards than she would have if she was home.

That nobody was able to make contact with her or her guards made it clear that she had either been captured, or was in hiding, because traveling directly to the shrine would likely land her in the hands of whoever was after her.

From behind Kohama, Ora's eyes never left the Hokage. Under the ANBU bear mask that she wore, she stared intently, as if she was trying to read, by his mannerisms, what his decision would be. Would he act?

It eventually grew tiresome to wait, but she wouldn't dare rush him.

"Sending help is going to be a complicated affair. Chizu and her guards can trust no one."

Since the Bijuu Shrine was established, no outside influence had ever meddled in its affairs. The guards in modern times were all descendents of the guards that had been allotted to it in its creation, and all were loyal to the Jinchuuriki over any of the surrounding countries. Naturally, they would take a cautious stance towards any foreign shinobi.

Still, Kohama sensed that other countries would start dispatching small teams to search for Chizu regardless, and a chaotic crossing of paths like that could easily be the one decisive strike that would set a match to flame.

He couldn't stand idly by, however. He had to understand that if the worst came to pass, he was going to have to do his best to put Konoha well ahead of the others. It was his duty to ensure that the village survived, no matter the cost.

"Send word for Eito Hatake, Kokori Nara, and Izo Yamanaka."

Ora's eyes focused, wondering if it was really the Hokage's intention to send only three shinobi. Surely, if the other Hidden Villages were going to chase after Chizu as well, then they would undoubtedly send larger groups.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

She exited silently, and he stood by, watching Konoha. As he did, he called to mind a picture of the devastation that the one named Nagato left behind all those years ago. He had no intention of ever seeing that take place during his tenure as Hokage. He would sooner die.

He was eagerly waiting for the three closely aged shinobi to arrive when they did.

Eito Hatake was the first to step in.

The white hair of his lineage had been washed away by his mother, who had dark hair in contrast to his father's white. His facial features, however, were starkly similar to those of his oldest fathers. He wore the traditional shinobi flak jacket with a pair of black cotton pants, steel plated gloves and, most prominently, an iron headband with the Konoha emblem etched into it that hung over his left eye.

In modern days, the Hatake family had turned close to what was considered a clan within the confines of Konoha. Believing that the power of Obito's Sharingan could one day be used to preserve the ensuing peace, or to protect his village again, Kakashi had it removed so that it may be passed down to the strongest members of his descendants.

Eito made it clear that he deserved Obito's Sharingan early on. He was born with an uncanny proficiency to manipulate chakra that was said to rival the astounding control of the energy by those in the Hidden Village in the Stars, and now, at the age of twenty five, he was considered to be the undisputed future Hokage. In fact, the only thing that was keeping him from taking the position now was that he had expressed a deep hatred for the idea because he believed that the strongest shinobi of a village should not be confined to an office during difficult times.

By now, the Sharingan was well at his behest, though he was still regrettably fated to never attain its grandest powers solely because the blood coursing through his body was not an Uchiha's blood. He had mastered the training passed down to his family by Kakashi, and at one time, he specialized in the protection of high value targets. This, beside his obvious aptitude as a shinobi in general, made him a prime candidate for the protection of Chizu Uzumaki.

Nobody ever found out the real reason why the vision in Obito's eye never blurred, much like it had for other members of the Uchiha clan in the past. After all, the Uchiha clan was extinct, and there was no way to find out. Kakashi once said that it was probably because Obito's desire to protect Konohagakure had been so steadfast, that even after he was dead, Obito would never relent in his desire to see the future and help it as best as his sharingan would allow.

Kokori Nara followed him in.

She, too, resembled her family. Her straight hair could go in any direction she willed it to go, but she kept it wrapped into a high bun atop her head. She wore the same attire as Eito, and even though she didn't have a pair of bright colored eyes, or even though she wasn't particularly busty, she still kept an alluring air about her. Perhaps it was the sheer beauty of her face. Such was the reason why she was the object of Izo's affection.

Kokori distinguished herself as a popular Hokage candidate, just as Izo and Eito had, during her first chuunin exam, where she fought Eito in the final round. The two of them stalemated to a point that the match almost had to be decided by taijutsu, and towards the end, when they were convinced that they had to use the last of their chakra to win, a Jonin stepped in to prevent them from dying from complete chakra depletion.

Songs were made of their ability to sacrifice their lives to win.

Since then, she and Eito had spent a lot of time in the field, protecting high value targets or performing all other duties given to them by the Hokage.

The last one to step in was Izo, and he was taller than the other two. He had short blonde hair with a pair of friendly green eyes. Izo was believed to be the strongest from the Yamanaka clan, and had distinguished himself as the second best sensory shinobi in the village.

The obvious first was the Hokage himself.

During his chuunin exam, he proved himself to be a great sensory type shinobi in the second stage of the test. Therein, he easily avoided the groups that he and his team mates, which included Kokori and the son of the Akimichi clan, believed to be they were least prepared to handle and made short work of the teams they believed they could easily defeat.

After acquiring their scrolls, they easily avoided contact with other teams because Izo could sense them all when they came within range. The team emerged from that portion of the exam without a single scratch to show for it. Now, he was hard at work in an attempt to give the Hokage a run for his money at being a sensory type shinobi.

"I've called the three of you in because I have a very important mission for you."

Each of them stood abreast as they listened to him. In detail, the Hokage began explaining the complexities of the situation that the Five Countries were now faced with. As the three shinobi watched him, it was very easy to tell that he was deeply concerned with the possibility of war. Peace between the largest countries had endured for so long. To watch it burn now would be a tragedy.

Since it happened, all of the countries that entered into the alliance had taught the new generations the great sacrifices of their forefathers in order to keep the understanding of how much must be lost to undo war fresh.

"If it must be done, we will ensure that Chizu ends up under the control of Konohagakure, Hokage-sama," Eito eagerly commented.

Kohame's eyes narrowed slowly and his lips pressed together. He opened his mouth to speak and cut himself short, closing his eyes for a moment, stopping to think. When he opened his eyes, he did so with a brand new intensity.

"I've decided that you will not be wearing the headbands with Konoha's symbol etched into them."

His three shinobi didn't express any surprise.

"You'll be wearing headbands with the Five Country Alliance symbol on them. I require the three of you to understand," speaking, he carried his eyes to each of their faces until they settled atop Eito squarely, knowing that he was the most volatile of his chosen group.

"Because it is not your primary mission to strengthen Konohagakure. It is your primary mission to protect the peace, to protect Chizu and return her to the Bijuu Shrine, where she belongs. It is your primary mission to defuse any tension that may be in the air if and when you encounter shinobi from the other villages. Transporting Chizu here is a last resort only to be used when you are absolutely certain that war is on the horizon. I ask that you not make that decision lightly."

He carried that same intense gaze to the rest of them again.

"Do whatever it takes to preserve Naruto's Legacy. Above all, this peace that we've attained means most. It would be an insult to the sacrifices that our forefathers had to make in order to get us here. If you are forced to return here with Chizu so that Konohagakure may use her as a weapon . . . "

The pause that he gave made it look as if he was unsure if whether his next words were correct. He looked to mull them over deeply before finally, he uttered them, "Bear in mind that I'll have considered your mission a complete and utter failure."

Kohama allowed some time to pass by between the four of them like he was allowing a sponge the time to soak in surrounding water. Once he felt that his message was clear, he continued, "Chizu Uzumaki is believed to be somewhere between the Waterfall Village and the Rice Field Country. I chose a small team because the three of you will have an easier time staying out of sight."

His eyes found Izo, "I have full trust in Izo that he will be able to keep you all from being noticed by any other influences in the area. Now go. Acquire your headbands with the Five Country Alliance emblem on them. Best of luck."

The three of them faded into nonexistence. In their absence, he closed his eyes again.

Did he just send three of his finest shinobi out to be slaughtered by larger groups? No, they were stronger than that. He was sure of it.


	3. Apprehensive

The three of them traveled in silence for hours, each lost in their own train of thought as they jumped from tree to tree, their arms extended backwards as they moved along. They had acquired their different headbands for the mission, just as the Hokage had instructed.

Eito was unsure if whether the Hokage was taking too gentle a stance towards this whole situation. From his point of view, the safest venue of action, regardless of whether or not the other countries were making moves, was to capture Chizu for the Leaf without asking any questions. That way, they were both prepared for war if it indeed was imminent, and they were prepared to hand her over if all of this was a ruse.

If any of the other countries disagreed with that, it was their problem. Konoha had every right to strengthen itself against a war that it had not triggered.

He had been one of the shinobi assigned to investigate the shinobi of the leaf. Save for the few who had recently passed away from diseases, or on missions against pillagers and the like, everyone was accounted for.

That fact alone made it impossible for the Leaf to have been responsible for any of the attacks on the other countries.

"Guys," Kikori's calm voice called out to them. "I've been thinking about our shinobi count. Everyone's accounted for, so it's clear that Konohagakure is not responsible for what's been happening, but do you get the feeling the same can be said of the other countries?"

"Someone's responsible for this," Eito responded.

"But does it have to be someone from the countries? Maybe it's somebody else. Maybe it's the people from the Bijuu Shrine."

She drew their attentions without a struggle. The two men turned their heads slowly, landing their eyes on the kunoichi while they waited for her elaboration. Eito in particular started to see where she was going with it before she began.

"Think about it. All of the people who protect the Bijuu Shrine are descendents of the five countries. It would make sense that they have access to shinobi that specialize to each of the elemental releases."

"True," Eito responded.

"I understand that it can just as easily be one or two of the other countries, or even three, working together, but this other theory is just as likely, isn't it?"

"I would say it is," Izo interjected, finally immersing himself into the conversation.

"But why would the people at the Bijuu Shrine want this?" Izo inquired.

"That's the big question, and it applies to whoever is actually responsible for everything that's been going on. Why would _anyone _want war on such an extravagant scale?"

The three of them looked ahead again, each keeping in mind those last words that had been spoken.

"I get the feeling that very soon, we'll know who is responsible, too," Kokori finalized. "And I also believe that this chase for Chizu Uzumaki will either be the final push that sends the countries into a state of war, or it'll be what sheds the kind of light on things that'll convince everyone to relax."

Eito and Izo didn't know why, but as Kokori finished speaking, they each got the very same feeling that she was having. Now, it felt like there was much, much more weight settled atop their shoulders.

Their actions were going to decide what would happen.

"Sounds like we've got some responsibility here then," Izo said, expelling the contents of his diaphragm.

Then, as suddenly as that, his head turned to his left. His eyes went intense and focused. A very familiar sensation flooded him over. It sort of felt like an ethereal hand had reached out and swept across their vicinity. The moment that hand passed right through them, it faded away, leaving such a subtle signature that a lesser shinobi wouldn't be able to read it had ever even been there.

"We've been sensed," he declared, his voice hard. They all stopped immediately, the branches under their feet swaying up and down in response to their weight.

Eito and Kokori each turned their heads to him. They hadn't felt a thing, as it usually went. Eito didn't need to ask his subordinate how many there were before he began elaborating on their situation all on his own.

"I'm sensing seven of them. They've stopped. Looks like they're waiting to see what they're going to do."

Eito nodded his head.

Then suddenly, Izo's head tilted up. The same hand from before extended in their direction, sifting through the objects surrounding them. Before it reached them, his hands lifted, performing a series of seals that looked like nothing more than a blur before their existence subsequently melded with their surroundings. Each of their chakras seemed to become one with everything around them.

To the sensory shinobi that was attempting to find them again, there was nothing more than trees and grass where those three shinobi used to be.

"They're gone," Sekuna commented.

Around her, six Kirigakure shinobi stood, waiting on an elaboration from the one kunoichi in Kirigakure with the power of the Byakugan, which she had inherited from the shinobi called Ao, who took part in the last shinobi world war.

"They must be there somewhere, but they're not showing up."

Sekuna was a beautiful black haired shinobi in her early thirties, with the Byakugan implanted into her right eye. Her entire body was covered in a mesh bodysuit and over that, she wore a short-skirted blue kimono with an open flak jacket over it. Her thighs were covered in leather straps with pouches attached to them, where she carried her shuriken, kunai, and any other number of weaponry she may have used.

At first glance, there was something very imposing about her, but the very same could be said of the shinobi all around her.

What stood out the most about them, however, was something that Izo was unable to immediately see. Each of these seven shinobi, by seemingly by some form of nigh impossible coincidence, were not wearing the headbands of their respective villages. They, too, had come equipped with the headbands that the shinobi from the five country alliance once used so many years ago.

There was silence between all seven of them for a few minutes while she waited for something to happen. Six of them each seemed to look at Sekuna with a sort of patience that came when a subordinate was looking to a leader for instruction.

"Did they sense us?" Eito asked.

Izo kept his eyes down, focusing on what was going on. Then, he shook his head.

"The first time, yes. The second time, I doubt it."

"Good," Eito commented, bringing both his hands together to form the telltale cross seal of the shadow clone jutsu. Kokori turned to watch him, "What are you going to do?"

"Find out who we're dealing with," Eito answered.

When the shadow clone appeared, there wasn't even a poof noise. No smoke, either. The air in front of him distorted and an individual that resembled neither of them appeared, wearing clothes that were much, much more regular than what a shinobi would wear.

What Izo noticed most about this shadow clone was the distinct difference in the chakra flowing through his body when opposed to the chakra he sensed in Eito himself. These were the nuances that made this particular son of the Hatake family the inheritor of the Sharingan. He was so good with chakra manipulation that he could fabricate systems of them at random, and in other instances, he could use the power of the Sharingan to view another person's chakra and imbue it into a shadow clone that looked just like them, creating a clone that not even the Byakugan could distinguish from the person it was meant to imitate.

The most worrisome facet of that was that he could do it at a moment's notice. Even during battle. Izo was glad that Eito was from his village.

"Someone's coming," Sekuna finally commented. She found herself puzzled by the fact that the chakra that was headed in her direction didn't resemble any of the chakras that she had perceived minutes before.

"Three of us will wait here," she declared. "Kenji, Sora, Amaru, and Shosei will disperse and prepare for an assault. Okina, Bunshi, you stay here with me."

Four shadows did just as she ordered, flashing away into the forestry around her while Okina and Bunshi took their places beside her. Okina bore an uncanny resemblance to Sekuna, and even dressed the same way. Her hair was shorter and there was something about her facial features that made it clear that she may have been a decade, or close to it, younger.

Bunshi was a mountainous man with a thick, heavy body, who looked to be the oldest member of the group. His blue hair was spiked upward into a single point that his headband kept in place, his upper body was entirely bare, and his pants were simple, with no pockets in them to be seen.

He was peculiar in the sense that it appeared that he didn't bother carrying around kunai or shuriken, and was also peculiar in the sense that he carried an enormous weapon upon his back. It was one of the weapons used by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; the Helmet Splitter.

"Let's move," Eito ordered, moving away from the area while his clone approached its intended target.

"They're standing still. Looks like they're waiting for it," Izo assured.

"Good."

Sekuna was standing in wait when the figure finally stepped into her boundaries. He emerged from the forestry with a purpose, which made it clear that he was part of the three shinobi she sensed minutes ago.

He stopped twenty feet in front of them, glancing in their direction with a stoic expression until he found that their headbands were different. They were just like the ones the Konohagakure shinobi were wearing.

"Alliance headbands. That's a reassuring thing to see."

Sekuna's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"We're wearing those headbands as well."

"Bullshit," Bunshi cut in. "He's lying. If we let him leave, he'll probably tell his comrades to wear these headbands, too, so they can trick us."

The clone's eyes focused, coming to a regrettable understanding that the shinobi who were going to be in the area were going to be more on edge than he anticipated. Sekuna turned to glance at her subordinate once, and looked ahead again, "You must forgive Bunshi, even if he makes an abundant amount of sense. Why aren't you wearing a headband?"

"Because I'm a clone. I was sent here to assess, and I was crafted to avoid giving away details on where my commanding shinobi are from."

Bunshi watched on with as much scrutiny as before.

"We're here to secure Chizu Uzumaki, and assure her a safe return to the Bijuu Shrine."

"Bah! The Bijuu Shrine is responsible for everything that's going on!"

After Bunshi snapped, Sekuna turned to him again, "Bunshi." With just that gentle utterance, the mountainous shinobi seemed to relax. Once he went silent, she began, "It's true. It's very likely that the people from the Bijuu Shrine are responsible for everything that's been going on. We've no intention of bringing Chizu Uzumaki back to them."

"Then where will you take her? To your village?"

"Afraid so."

"We can't allow that."

Sekuna's hands raised, setting atop her hips, "Then it looks like your team and my team are on a collision course."

"At this rate, everyone's going to be on a collision course."

"Then let it be so. I'm certain that my village isn't responsible for these attacks. Every one of our shinobi and kunoichi is accounted for, so we haven't had any defectors. The only village I can trust is my own."

Kokori's words crossed his mind just then. It was starting to shape out the exact same way she predicted.

"None of our shinobi are missing, either. They're all accounted for."

"Sorry, but you can't expect us to believe you. It's just not how it works."

"If you don't plan on attempting to preserve the peace between the countries, why are you wearing those headbands? It makes no sense."

"This is our way of maintaining the peace. We'll secure Chizu Uzumaki in our village and refrain from using her as a weapon. If the rest of the countries cannot accept that, then we'll view it as an act of war."

Silence ensued between the four of them. Sekuna, just as Eito's shadow clone, was regretful of how black and white this conversation was. Deep inside, the two wished some modicum of trust could be reached, but with how everything had come along, the two teams felt there was no room for mistakes born of flawed trust.

Then, something rumbled.

Each of them stopped and started looking around. Specifically, they all looked towards the ground, and the rumbling increased. Sekuna lifted her hand, performing a seal. The following moment, the area surrounding her right eye became vascular.

Upon activating the Byakugan, she was able to see a sea of chakra beneath the ground, growing and expanding to encapsulate the entire area.

"Doton!"

No longer had she alerted her shinobi of the fact that there was about to be an earth release technique that pillars made of rock started rising from the ground. Some of them tilted diagonally, looking to smack some of their targets into other pillars, crushing them.

Everyone scattered, including the shadow clone, and Sekuna turned her eyes to see into the distance as she evaded the pillars. She was able to uncover her four other shinobi therein, all seemingly avoiding the pillars.

The rumbling lasted a total of ten seconds before the pillars went unmoving. Then, everything was deathly silent.

Most of everyone was standing on the tree branches, avoiding the ground, except for one person. A pile of water between those pillars raised until it formed a man; the water shinobi who went by the name of Kenji. He had avoided being impaled by using a water jutsu.

"Is everyone alright?"

Sekuna's words echoed through the distance when suddenly, those pillars exploded. They didn't burst into flames and force, no, but their splintering ushered in another stage of the large scale assault. Spikes erupted from each and every one of them, and Kenji, who had been within their confines that very moment, was swarmed by them.

"Uahhhhh!"

They heard him scream before the sound of earth spikes piercing through armor and flesh was heard. Blood splattered to the ground as the spikes all around him became his tomb.

"Kenji!" Shosei yelled.

Shosei was close friends with the man who had just died. They had grown up together as shinobi, and that much was easily noticeable in the despair that was suddenly present on her countenance.

"Kenji!" she yelled again.

"Where the fuck is the caster?"

Bunshi turned to his leader, Sekuna, who was busy looking in every direction. Beneath her, there was a brilliant pool of chakra that, at first, was simple. She realized that there was more to it than met the eye.

"The enemy is underground! They're hiding their exact location with that big splotch of chakra!" In the same breath, she turned to one of her shinobi and yelled out orders, "Shosei, flush them out!"

The kunoichi gritted her teeth, her hand lifting to brush tears out of her eyes while she descended to the ground. At the same time, her fingers rushed, forming seals until the moment her feet touched down.

_Suiton, Earth Softening. _

Her palms struck the Terra, and the jutsu began.

Water flooded the ground, sifting through the grains of dirt at an alarming rate, undoing the Earth beneath them and turning it to mud. Even the spikes dissolved, and she watched as Kenji sunk into her jutsu.

_I'll make them pay. _

For the time being, she managed to stay afloat by focusing chakra at the soles of her shoes.

The shinobi didn't have to wait long before the enemy showed their faces. Four figures burst out of the mud, covered in the substance. High up into the air they went. Sekuna turned her eyes upwards, watching as the droplets of mud lifted along with them.

Sora, the youngest member of the group, was the first to go on the offensive. His hands began forming seals.

_Jokiton, Boiling Spray. _

He drew in a deep breath that stretched out his chest and opened his mouth, releasing the powerful steam jutsu that was made possible with the water and fire releases. It wasn't a stream of water that erupted from his mouth. It was a vast legion of small droplets, hot enough to cause severe burns, spraying in the direction of the airborne shinobi. To them, it would be as if were raining droplets of fire.

The Doton shinobi didn't fail to move as well. Each began forming hand seals, but one wasn't on time. As the spray washed him over, it burned away his armor and reached his skin. Goblets of flesh peeled off his person mid air as the others brought their defensive jutsu to fruition.

One's skin turned to stone, and the others used the earth in the mud that was clinging to them to form barriers. Upon landing on the ground, steam was emanating from their respective defenses.

It was then that Bunshi moved, steam rolling through earthen barrier closest to him with the Helmet Splitter. He was an absolute flash, and it didn't help the doton practitioner that the weapon he carried was said to be able to shatter any defense.

On the other side, Bunshi found the satisfying sensation of cutting his adversary in half. Each of the halves hit the floor, sinking into Shosei's mud as Bunshi turned to face the rest.

Sekuna's voice shattered the battle.

"Hold your actions!"

Everyone stopped, but were surprised. Even the Doton shinobi appeared dumbfounded, but relieved at the same time. Once everyone was quiet and unmoving, she began, "Who are you?"

Eito's clone answered, "They're not from any village, from what I gather. They must be part of the shinobi group that's been trying to send everything into disarray."

"Who the hell asked you?" Bunshi answered.

"It would be wisest if you destroyed them before they capitalize on this time you're giving them."

Sekuna was hesitant, but the moment that the one with the hardened skin began forming seals again, she knew the clone was right.

"Finish them!"

The shinobi with the stone skin, whose name was Jinsu, appeared to be the leader of the doton practitioners. He was wearing a flak jacket with no shirt underneath it, and his head was shaven bald. He had an intense, vile gleam in his eyes.

Before he could finish his seals, he heard the sound of water rushing, as if along a river. He turned his head to see and found himself face to face with a water stream. It was originating from Amaru's mouth, a pale skinned shinobi with a scar on his forehead, and long black hair.

Jinsu gritted his teeth and let the water wash him over. He stood against it like a rock, the water splitting to either of his sides. Everyone was surprised to see that he was still standing in the same area.

Meanwhile, Eito's clone remained on the sidelines, gathering as much information on the fight.

_Gotcha_, Amaru thought.

His fingers burst into movement.

_Suiton, Flash Stream. _

Upon completing the jutsu, his body disappeared, drawn into the water that he had fired in the direction of his enemy. He appeared in front of Jinsu in the blink of an eye, emerging from the water that was still lightly streaming around him.

The clone's eyes widened.

_That's fast. _

From Amaru's sleeve, a blade emerged, and he extended it out towards Jinsu. A moment before reaching, electrical circuitry began dancing atop the blade.

_Shit_, Jinsu cursed.

His hand grasped Amaru's wrist, avoiding the lightning and stopping it before it reached him. Amaru's eyes narrowed.

_Almost had him. _

Jinsu began falling back, the armor letting him escape the way a butterfly abandons its cocoon. His hands erupted into a sequence of seals as the stone armor drew Amaru into its grasp, entrapping him in a tomb of stone that angled the raiton imbued blade away from it, much to his surprise.

_Doton, Earthen Maiden. _

The armor splintered, encapsulating Amaru in a plethora of spikes, the same way that Kenji had been caught. All his comrades heard was a scream, and all they saw was his head dislodging from the rest of its body. His sword dropped to the floor.

Sekuna's eyes narrowed, _This guy's dangerous. _

Just then, Jinsu's only remaining comrade performed a series of seals that resulted in a quartet of pillars rising from the muddy floor that Shosei had created. When they reached their apex high in the sky, each of them splintered, firing earthen daggers at each of the Kirigakure shinobi.

At that point, the Byakungan user had had enough. Her knees bent and she fired herself forth, speeding through the field as her hands hastily conjured together the seals that would give her jutsu its identity.

_Juryoton, Singularity. _

The technique was made manifest just as she crossed the space beside each of the Doton practitioners. It resulted in a field of attraction, with her at the center of it, that discriminated the objects in its surroundings. In this case, it drew in the earthen splinters that were threatening her shinobi, and did so at frightening speeds, forcing them to rip the two Doton practitioners to shreds on their way towards her and protecting her subordinates in the process.

Jinsu exploded into a pile of rocks and the last shinobi was torn to pieces by his jutsu. Those spikes stopped following after Sekuna once she deactivated the jutsu. From there, it took a long few seconds for it to settle that the fight was over. They had lost two comrades already.

The shadow clone watched on intently, astounded with how powerful these shinobi were. He figured that since they specialized in water jutsu, they were more than likely from Kirigakure.

Standing there atop the branch, Sekuna turned her eyes to him specifically.

"Whoever they are, it looks like they're after Chizu Uzumaki now as well. If it were really the people from the Bijuu Shrine, why would they allow one of their Jinchuuriki to step out of their boundaries, knowing they'll have to retrieve her from the other countries if they do? Not to mention it, Chizu Uzumaki bears Kurama within her, the strongest of them all."

"It doesn't matter," Sekuna answered. "We're bringing Chizu to our village and that's going to put as at odds with you. Furthermore, you've seen too much."

He heard movement behind him. Before anything could be done, a kunai was inserted into his spine, and the shadow clone disappeared. Okina emerged from behind him, glancing down at her sister with her eyes narrowed.

The five Kirigakure shinobi convened around Sekuna now that the fight was over.

Upon receiving that noteworthy stream of information, Eito came to a stop. Kokori and Izo did, too, and glanced at him, knowing that he had likely just received important information from his shadow clone.

Without waiting long, he explained to them every facet of the fight that he had seen.

Kokori was the first to speak, "Joryuton and Jokiton, huh. And the Byakugan? Sounds like we've got a lot of trouble ahead of us."

"At this rate, if we can't get Kirigakure to cooperate, we're going to have to make bringing Chizu home the first priority. If we don't, they will," Eito answered. "But for now, we worry about locating Chizu and keeping a low profile. We don't want to get involved in a fight. We're counting on you, Izo."

"Yes sir," the blonde responded. "I'll keep us out of trouble, damn sure."


	4. Catalyst

"What was that?" Chizu's voice inquired, her eyes peeled in the direction of what sounded like an explosion.

Naruto's descendant resembled him closely. She had inherited the blonde hair and blue eyes of the Namikaze blood, and had also inherited those three whisker-like markings atop her cheeks as a result of Kurama's presence within her. She had also been told by some of the historians at the Bijuu Shrine that her rambunctious attitude also closely resembled the sixth Hokage's.

What may have had a difference in the way they turned out, however, was the royal etiquette with which Chizu had been raised. She had been groomed to be beautiful in many ways. She could sing, she could play the Koto, and had been taught the complexities of diction so that she may have the verbal skill to influence the people she visited throughout her life time.

Compared to the rest of the Jinchuuriki, Chizu spent a lot of time outside the walls of the Bijuu Shrine because of her status as the representation of Naruto Uzumaki, who not only she inherited Kurama from, but whom she also inherited her name from. In short, she was one of the most popular beings in existence.

As a Jinchuuriki, and Kurama's Jinchuuriki no less, it was her job to keep people armed with a profound understanding of the sacrifices her grandfather of three generations ago, along with his friends, had to make to bring this peace about so that they may value what they had. In that way, she believed that she had been helping keep things peaceful, until a few months ago when those random attacks began.

Typically, she was seen wearing something benefiting of her status, but certain circumstances in the past week had brought about some unusual changes. Now, she wore a thick brown coat over her body that covered her entire person, save for her blue eyes, and also appeared disheveled.

Her entire group had been through a lot. So much, in fact, that they were down to less than a third of the members that her group consisted of at first.

"Not sure, but we better get moving," Tsume responded.

Tsume was a kunoichi who had spent a lot of time around Chizu as she was growing up, and was one of the three protectors left. She wore a white flak jacket most reminiscent of the kind that was used in the Land of Lightning, and carried around a katana strapped to her back. Her green eyes were intense under the rogue strands of red hair, and her skin was tanned.

The others were Kiriyama and Sanji.

Kiriyama was a tall, skinny man with short black hair who wore a heavy black vest under a blue jacket styled like a kimono, and a pair of black pants. He, too, carried a sword, but wore it on his hip instead. His vigilant gaze wasn't as intense as Tsume's, but at first glance, he appeared to be a man of discipline and focus as well.

Sanji was the shortest, but the vague appearance of wrinkles on his countenance and the grays on his head were a testament not only to his age, but also to his experience. Out of the three protectors Chizu had left, he was the one who had seen the most tension in the shinobi world.

"Stop dawdling, everyone. You, too, Chizu," Tsume commanded.

Chizu turned her attention away from where the explosive noise had originated from and jogged after Tsume, stopping next to her as they continued. The kunoichi was the one she felt safest around.

Around Chizu, the three guardians kept themselves under control, but the three of them knew that their situation was deteriorating. They understood the politics of everything, and it was only a matter of time before the countries sent shinobi to come look for them. Whether or not they would come to take Chizu to their respective villages was unclear.

What was clear, however, was that three guardians didn't quite appear to be enough. At the time, their only hope was that the Bijuu Shrine would also send troops to search for her.

They felt that it was up to them to avoid capture for as long as possible, but they knew they weren't going to be getting out of the vicinity by themselves. Making a beeline out of there would stand out as a huge red flag to the sensory shinobi in the area.

Their best chance was to keep moving around, and hope to avoid detection by avoiding major conflicts. From the sound of that battle nearby, it looked like the countries may have already started fighting each other.

Tsume, Kiriyama and Sanji knew the severity of such an occurrence. Chizu wasn't directly told how bad things were, but she was bright enough to figure it out all on her own.

"Maybe we should turn ourselves in," Chizu said, breaking the silence between them.

As Tsume turned her eyes to see her, watching the moon's silver light shimmering in her worried eyes, she remained steadfast.

"Nonsense," she responded, "We don't know what they would do to you. What if they tried to extract Kurama? Something like that would kill you."

"But Kurama says he'll stop that from happening."

Tsume gave pause, considering how much of a boon it was to have Kurama on their side. Still, it was her duty to understand that if the countries were sent to hunt a Jinchuuriki, then they would most certainly be prepared to seal a tailed beast.

"Kurama can be sealed. We don't want to risk that," she calmly responded.

"But I don't want anybody else to die for me."

Chizu's voice was fluid and steady.

Kiriyama chimed in, "Chizu-sama, it's our duty to protect you. Don't feel guilty about those who have already passed away doing so. I assure you, there was no greater honor for them."

"That's correct," Tsume ascertained. "Now come along, and stay quiet. We don't want to attract any attention."

Though there was a pang of defiance begging her to not remain silent about the way she truly felt, she listened. She didn't want Tsume to get angry. She had seen the way she berated her subordinates when they made mistakes.

* * *

_Doton, Vibrational Sensory._

Meanwhile, in the far distance, there sat a man on the earthen floor. On his forehead, he wore a shinobi headband with the five country alliance symbol etched into it. He was thick and powerful looking, with black facial hair that trailed down from his sideburns to his jawline, where they curved in the direction of his chin and stopped there. The clothes he wore were largely brown colored, typical of what the shinobi from the Land of Rock dressed like. Each of his palms was pressed into the floor.

"How much longer, Tousen?"

Around him stood two other shinobi who kept an eye out. A male and a female, each wearing clothes that resembled their leaders'. The male in particular had a very impatient mien about him.

He had shoulder length black hair tied into a small pony tail, sharp facial features, and light stubble on his cheeks. He, too, was big, but not stocky. He may have been as tall as the man who was seated on the floor.

"Relax, Gojiro," Mikayo cooed. Her black hair was short, and she wore an armored skirt piece that extended flaps down a good way of her thighs, offering some measure of protection. Up higher, she wore a brown vest made of resilient earthen material that was also designed to be light. In contrast to Gojiro, she looked calmer, and her gentle eyes had an innate manner of being seductive.

"We don't have too much time before the others find her, damn it."

Tousen finally entertained him.

"With you talking, it's going to take longer, so stuff something long and thick down your throat for the mission's sake, will ya?"

"Fuck you," Gojiro answered.

As Tousen closed his eyes again slowly, he reached out. By the virtue of his Earth Release, the dirt iself seemed to speak to him, giving him vague images of the surrounding areas.

It took an hour, but he found what he was looking for, and he made it known to his subordinates nearly at the same time.

"You sure?"

Gojiro's lips slanted diagonally as he watched Tousen.

"I know those steps anywhere."

Tousen was the sensory shinobi of the group, but he had a very original manner of going on about it. When chakra sensing could be easily disrupted by other sensors in the area, he could shift to using Doton to get the job done. It only worked in places where the ground was made of dirt and rock, of course, but this enormous forestry area that had become Chizu's hiding place was just the right fit.

It also helped that Tousen had gotten to know Chizu during the time she spent in Iwagakure. During her tenure there, he had been tasked with her safety, something like an extra layer of protection stacked on top of the guards that she usually traveled with.

"Looks like she's only got three guardians left. Let's move before the others do."

When he stood, it was painfully clear that Gojiro actually stood a whole head shorter than his captain.

Mikayo was the first to move, her feet carrying her in towards the trees while the two others quickly caught up and traveled beside her.

* * *

"I sense something."

Kokori and Eito stopped, turning to glance at Izo behind them over their shoulders.

"Movement. Three shinobi."

As Izo stood there atop a branch, lowered on one knee, it looked like he was staring at the space in front of him. The truth was, however, that he was staring into a much vaster space than that.

"Does it feel like any of them might have Kurama inside?"

Kokori's question caused Izo to shake his head.

"Then it's of no real concern to us," Eito concluded. "We want to avoid everything unless it's Chizu we've found."

Kokori concurred silently and stared at Izo. So did Eito. Still, that concentrated look on the Yamanaka's face endured. Eito and Kokori were unsure of what was going on. It lasted a few more moments when Eito finally gave them an order, "Leave it, Izo. Let's move."

This time, the blonde lifted his hand.

"There's something different about them."

"What?"

Kokori seemed not to blink while she waited for an explanation.

"They're moving differently. All the other teams we've found were moving steadily, with the kind of pace that would indicate passive search. These three . . . they're moving much quicker. They're not searching, they're pursuing."

After his last word was uttered, he turned to Eito.

"Either they found Chizu, or they're pursuing another enemy."

"I think it's worth following, Eito," Kokori interjected, turning her attention to him.

Eito nodded his head assertively, "Agreed. Lead the way, Izo."

His legs unfurled and propelled him to the front of his group. Eito and Kokori began following him along. The possibility of fighting hadn't felt as strong the whole day until now. Each of them were close to accepting the brutal reality of what was happening here.

"If their stance is like Kirigakure's stance, we'll engage them. But not until they reach whatever they're pursuing. No questions asked. Understood?"

Kokori offered up an apprehensive nod and Izo answered from ahead.

"Understood."

"Can you use your chakra harmonization technique to keep us hidden?"

Izo mulled Eito's words over and didn't look back as he responded.

"I can, but in movement, that technique drains a lot of chakra. If it takes them long to get to where they're going, I may not be able to keep the distortion up long enough. Also, if they reach their destination before I run out of stamina, then I'll likely be low on chakra for the fight. If there is one."

"Alright, we'll continue as is. We'll keep a distance. Hopefully that's enough of a buffer."

"If they've got a sensor, I doubt it'll be enough."

Kokori turned to Eito, "If they notice we're following them, and they're heading for Chizu, they might stop and deal with us first."

"You think they'll risk losing Chizu?"

"I would say so, yes. But I guess there is a possibility they might not. I think there are more chances they'll stop."

Eito's right eye turned ahead again as a pensive expression crossed his countenance.

"If they stop and they wont cooperate with the Hokage's orders of protecting Chizu over bringing her to a village, we'll engage them and Izo will extract information from a single survivor using his mind reading technique. Hopefully we can acquire Chizu's location that way."

Kokori slanted her mouth in response to those tense orders. As much as she didn't like it, she knew Eito was limited in his decisions.

"How troublesome . . . " she uttered gently.

"Don't worry, Kokori," Izo reassured, "Everything will be fine."

Upon entering pursuit, it didn't take long before they were sensed. Tousen stopped in his tracks and turned around entirely. Gojiro and Mikayo stopped as well, but only turned their heads backwards to see what their captain was up to.

"We're being tailed," he declared.

Gojiro's entire body tensed, "Finally, some action. If they're here for Chizu, we should kill 'em off."

Mikayo turned her body fully at that point.

"You're always so excitable, Gojiro . . . " her voice trailed off.

Tousen's glance didn't leave from where it was projected. There was the most resolute look on his face. His jaw was clenched, his eyebrows were drawn in tightly, and his eyes never blinked.

"We wait here."

"But what if we lose Chizu?"

Mikayo's arms folded under her breasts. Her expression wasn't as relaxed as it had been other times. There was a struggle there, borne of critical thinking.

"I can always find her again if we need to. We can't afford to lead anybody straight to her."

"Yes, Captain," she replied. Gojiro just smirked, eager for whoever it was that was chasing them to arrive.

"They've stopped," Izo eventually said, releasing a breath that had been superfluous for his words.

"Try and differentiate the sensor over the rest."

"Done," Izo replied. "He's got a lot of chakra."

"Alright. Here's the plan. If there's a fight, I'll enter the fray first and see if I can take out the other two. You two stand back and provide support from a distance. I'm doing this because your techniques are better suited for capture than mine. If it takes too long and you're engaged, however, then respond as you will. But don't act prematurely. Understood?"

The two verified that they understood the captain's orders and from there, the time went by far too quickly for Kokori. With every yard they traveled, she found herself hoping and wishing that the distance between the two groups would stretch out and make it take longer.

They emerged from the forest debris and found the three Iwagakure shinobi standing within a clearing that they had likely created with the use of Doton. The open space made it much easier for the moon to cast its brilliant, silver gaze atop them. They were center stage, and the spotlight was hovering over them.

Izo immediately pointed out their sensor to his team mates via the telepathic ability of his Yamanaka lineage.

"There you are, buncha lowly scavengers," Gojiro spat. "Why dontcha stop piggy backing off of us and do your own thing? Not good enough?"

Eito's eye was focused solely on Gojiro as he spoke, and he didn't answer at all. He stared at him for a good long while, studying him more than any of the rest for the time being.

"What? Dontcha have anything to say, dumb asses?"

It was then that the six shinobi recognized the marks on each others headbands. All of them were wearing the symbol of the allied forces from so many years ago. All six shinobi experienced a pang of hope, but it quickly faded away when they applied more of a realistic train of thought to the situation.

"Our Kage ordered us to protect Chizu here as best we could rather than bring her to a village, in the name of the Shinobi Alliance."

"Don't listen to that jackass, Tousen. How the hell are we supposed to believe you're not planning on stealing her out from under our noses when the time is right?"

"Enough, Gojiro," Tousen finally ordered. "Stay quiet. I'll handle this."

Gojiro's hands tightened into fists in response to the way Tousen suppressed him. His captain's order turned him into an explosion that was bottled up in a small, small container. He was so ready to escape its confines.

"My subordinate is right, I'm afraid. Put simply, we can't trust you. Nowadays, we can only trust ourselves."

Izo had definitely heard enough of that old story.

"Then why the hell did anybody bother putting on these fucking headbands? If we weren't going to show a modicum of faith in what it stands for, we should just take them off and toss them aside!"

Tousen took a moment to think things through. By the time he was finished, he was sympathetic. These shinobi could very well be caught in the same position that Iwagakure was in. In a position where they were thoroughly aware of the fact that they had nothing to do with the attacks that were coming very, very close to igniting a war, and they couldn't be trusted.

"Our Kage told us to don them so that we may inspire the same attitude in the other shinobi we were going to encounter here. To inspire others to trust _us _to do the right thing with Chizu."

While the sensor shinobi's response inspired anger in Izo, Eito cut through the fluff of the conversation with a question that downgraded their interaction to a state of black and white.

"Are you insinuating that your intention is to bring Chizu to your village?" From the way they were dressed, Eito suspected they were from the Land of Rock. "To Iwagakure?"

"Yes," Tousen answered.

A pause ensued.

It seemed to last a life time, but in reality, not but five seconds had passed. Eito's left hand raised, lifting the headband off of his left eye moments before the eyelids parted. The Iwagakure shinobi recognized the Sharingan immediately, and its three tomoe floating in the backdrop of his red iris.

From there, Eito's hands burst into a series of seals that were nothing but blurs.

* * *

Sanji's steps came to a stop. They had each been so silent in their traveling that when one pair of feet stopped walking, it felt like a trumpet next to their ear had gone silent. Everyone else stopped, too.

"Two trios of shinobi are approaching each other, it would seem."

Chizu's eyes seemed to light up. Her heart began beating faster, and as she watched Tsume and Kiriyama convene, her mind raced. Myriad memories returned to her, flashing her the countless hours she spent attempting to keep people invested in the peace between the countries.

All of that . . . she felt, was going to waste.

"Are they . . . from the countries?"

Sanji turned his head, but said nothing. The seconds seemed to slow down for her, and she spent them staring into his eyes like she wasn't looking for his glance, but more like she was looking for a facial expression that might give her the _truth_, which she was certain she would never receive directly.

"No," Tsume answered in his place.

Chizu's eyes went intense.

"You're lying. I'm sick of being lied to," she erupted, her fingers tightening into fists. "I'm not an idiot. I know that you've all been tiptoeing around me, trying to keep the truth from me, but it's not working. At this point, you're all just insulting my intelligence."

The three guardians stared at her silently. Chizu could gather a lot from their relative inertia. Not only did they have nothing feasible to retaliate with, but she could also see that they felt there was nothing they could do.

"We need to do something! We can't just let this happen!"

This time, Tsume spoke. She stepped on towards Chizu and stopped two feet from her, glancing down into her eyes.

"Chizu, we're only four people. We can't do _anything _right now."

What she said next took a good amount of strength to say.

"We don't even know if we'll be able to protect you, much less go around and try to make peace."

"There has to be something we can do! Let me go to them. I'll persuade them."

"Chizu-sama, you can't ask that of us. We would sooner die than leave your side in a situation like this," Kiriyama answered. "And please, do not burden Tsume any further. She is already under a lot of stress."

"They've convened," Sanji cut them off. "Their fight is likely going to attract visitors, and they're close. We better get out of here if we want to avoid this."

"I'm going," Chizu declared, "And I order you three to stand down."

She stepped past them, her steps heavy and certain before Tsume grasped her arm.

"Let go!"

After wrenching her arm from her guardian, she leaned forward and began running in the direction that Sanji had been looking. Tsume's facial expressions soured and she hesitantly lifted her hands, performing a series of calm seals.

_Raiton, Blue Prison. _

Her entire body erupted into a blue spark that swiftly descended her body until it dispersed in Chizu's direction from the tips of her toes. After reaching her, the current divided itself into two and quickly formed a square around her. A blue prison made of live electricity appeared surrounding her.

In a rage, Chizu turned around, "Tsume! I _order _you to let me go!"

"I can't do that."

Tears of frustration manifested at Chizu's eyelids. Her hands were still clenched into tight fists and she stood there defiantly. Kiriyama eventually stepped towards Tsume and began whispering into her ear.

From where Chizu was standing, she could tell he said something she didn't quite want to hear, but was forced to concur with nonetheless. Tsume's hands lifted again, moving to perform seals.

"Kurama! Help me!"

She turned around and ran straight towards the barrier.

_Fool_, she heard, somewhere from deep inside her consciousness. Tsume's eyes went wide in fear when suddenly, Chizu's whole body lit up. A familiar orange chakra burst out and encapsulated in Kurama's cloak.

Not only did it protect her from harm, but it also strengthened her body. She tore past the electrical barrier in a flash, and was disappearing into the forest quicker than any of them would be able to follow.

"Chizu-sama!"

Her three guardians gave chase, but even they couldn't keep up with Chizu in her current state. They found themselves not chasing an orange glow eventually, but a path of destruction behind her. Claw marks on the ground, splintered tree trunks, and razed grass.

_Doton, Dust cloud. _

The ground between the six shinobi spun into a maelstrom that resulted in a blanket of dirt that kept both teams from viewing one another directly. However, the Iwagakure shinobi were able to see when the Sharingan user entered its confines.

"Careful, he can still see us with the Sharingan!" Tousen alerted his shinobi.

Gojiro gritted his teeth, "Idiot! You think we'll be bested by your Doton! We can see in it, too!"

As Gojiro rushed forth, Mikayo yelled, "Gojiro! Hold your ground!"

Ignoring his team mate, he performed a quick pair of seals and entered the dust cloud.

_Doton, Earth Sensory. _

Gojiro was nowhere near as good with the jutsu as Tousen was, but in a minor situation like this, it was perfect. Meanwhile, Tousen focused on the cloud, immediately drawing out an image of their encounter based on the chakra flowing through their bodies.

When Eito and the Iwagakure shinobi met square in the center of the dust cloud, a loud iron clang illustrated that it happened. Following that, Gojiro grunted and cursed as he entered a plethora of encounters that resulted in a series of iron clangs.

"Gojiro!" Tousen yelled, "Come out!"

Two figures burst out of the cloud at that moment in the same direction, after having stalemated their assaults. Tousen followed the two of them out with his eyes, and that was when they found themselves faced with a difficult situation.

Both of the men that had come out of the dust cloud were Gojiro. It drew Tousen's immediate attention as he immediately began attempting to discern their chakra by focusing directly on them.

_It's . . . it's the same damn thing. They can't both be Gojiro!_

One of the anomalies turned to glance at Tousen, "Damn it, I'm the real one! That dumb ass made a clone!" The other gritted his teeth, his eyes intensifying as he pointed an accusing finger to the other, "Fucking _dog, _why dontcha cut the bullshit?"

Mikayo watched the two of them and then turned her attention to Tousen.

"Which one's the real one!"

"I don't know!"

"What?"

She turned her eyes back to the confusing sight, realizing the kind of foul play that Eito of the Sharingan could employ. Tousen came to a realization that Gojiro had made it much, much easier for the Sharingan user to emulate his personality than he or Mikayo had from the very start.

His foul mouth was the reason why they were at such a disadvantage all of a sudden.

_It looks like they've engaged, Chizu. You're going to be too late. _

"No! Stop!"

She yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping they would hear her, the anticipation rising within her like milk in a boiling pot.

_They can't hear you. _

Kurama's grim assertion made it harder to bear. She pushed herself as hard as she could, but couldn't shake feeling like she was running up a mountain with sand on it that never stopped sliding down its slope.

One Gojiro attacked the other. The real one easily stabbed his kunai through the clone's body and narrowed his eyes as it faded into nonexistence. Not a second later, the ground beneath his feet cracked and opened.

The Iwagakure shinobi were blinded by a shimmering cleaver of blue light that emulated the sound of a thousand birds chirping in unison.

It all made sense in that split second, but it was such a regrettable understanding to have. By making Tousen focus on the two Gojiros to discern the real one, the captain had completely and utterly failed to notice Eito swimming around underground.

Then, when the shadow clone was killed, it relayed everyone's exact location to him in better detail than his sharingan would have, and allowed him to launch that surprise attack quicker than it took a man to blink an eye.

In that same exact fateful moment, Chizu came careening into the clearing, "Stop!" Her voice echoed in everyone's ears.

In Eito's ears.

But it was too late.

Gojiro was cut vertically in half starting between his legs, and the assassin fell back and away before the blood splattered onto his clothes.

From there, all Chizu saw was the pain. The dreaded pain. She saw it in Gojiro's horrifying facial expression, in Mikayo's angry despair, in Tousen's resolve, and in the cold, merciless gleam in Eito's eyes.

"Stop it!" she yelled.

"Don't fight!"

It felt like she was screaming into a barren desert. Nobody could hear her. Gojiro's halves on the floor atop a quick expanding puddle of blood was one of the ugly marks that the pain of loss left behind.

And pain, Chizu knew, was a catalyst. A catalyst . . . for another few hundred years of bloodshed.


End file.
